Pep Guardiola , Manchester City football manager , does not eat on match days involving his team. He is far too tense and overwrought to have any appetite with a fixture looming. 

Whilst it is difficult to envision Tum Fell adopting similar dietary restraints before playing a table tennis match, one should not dismiss the seriousness with which The Stratford General Secretary approaches his table tennis.

Evidence of this is provided in Tums team selection for this fixture ; Awais Muhammed , Colebridges British League Captain , and Steve Smith, Birmingham League Chairman , and self confessed table tennis fanatic , who plays in TEN local leagues, making here his Stratford League debut. Tum himself completed the line up. 

Another debutant on the evening was Richard Grover , who experienced something of a baptism of fire , losing in five sets to his personal table tennis bête noire Tim Fell, he did take a set off Awais  , after adopting a direct determination to attack first with his ferocious flat hit. There will be evenings where he will not play as well and receive more reward.

The final two matches of the evening were outstanding and will remain long in the memory.

Firstly the doubles ; each pairing containing a combination bat player , Credland and Smith, together with flamboyant attackers , Muhammed and Shortley. It was a fully engaged encounter and there was little to choose between the pairs until the fourth set , which looked over at 10-6 to Smith/Muhammed , before Shortley and Credland took the next 6 points to win the end 12-10. After that the 5th and final end was a more straightforward 11-6 win and a vital fifth point to add to the Pasty tally. 

The final match of the evening was between its two unbeaten players , Shortley and Muhammed, and produced a five set classic. Its easy to dismiss Tom as a strong man with a powerful forehand attack , which indeed he is , but there are other areas of his game on which he has worked hard to have an all round arsenal of some depth.  It was not enough though to beat Awais ,  who was head and shoulders above all present as the physically fittest man in the room , whose speed around the court was impressive to behold , such fleetness of foot allows Awais to cover the majority of the table with his forehand , a considerable weapon. Deservedly , Player Of The Match.